Going viral is the goal for many salons, but how do you achieve this? Discover our favourite tips for achieving success on social media.
Salons usually go viral by posting short video content consistently and showing real client results people want to share. The best-performing posts are often quick transformations, behind-the-scenes clips, trending audio, and videos with strong lighting and clear before-and-after shots.
The allure of social media is that it is a level playing field. If you please the algorithm gods, you have the potential to enjoy viral success and amplify your message far beyond your following list. Going viral is the goal for many salons, but how do you achieve this elusive status?
In this guide, we’re sharing our favourite tips for achieving success on social media so you can be in with a winning chance of boosting your reach through viral exposure.
Perhaps the first rule of going viral is to first be consistent. For those companies that do achieve viral success, it can be tempting to see this as an overnight success story, but more often than not they were posting consistently before their viral success. The algorithms reward consistent posting and feeding more content into the machine. The more content you produce, the greater chance you have of achieving viral success.
Social media users can see through desperate attempts at going viral, so try to ensure you remain authentic. Doing something that is outside of your usual remit will look inauthentic to your audience and is unlikely to garner the attention that you want. It’s far better to go viral for something authentic than to go viral for something that either casts your salon in a poor light or doesn’t align with your values.
Remember that “going viral” might only lead to a spike in impressions for 24 hours, and these won’t all turn into new customers. While it might help with visibility, don’t expect a single instance of increased attention to cause bookings to skyrocket. The majority of views won’t even be in your service area, so they will simply be boosting your profile.
The simplest way to attract attention is to make sure the content you produce is created with the platform requirements in mind. This means simple things like recording content in portrait for TikTok and Instagram. Keep these content guidelines in mind to ensure you are maximising every pixel when you share it.
Perhaps the best way to achieve viral fame is to be sharing relevant content. To go viral, you need to be regularly consuming social media content so you can tap into what is popular. If you aren’t regularly on social media, consider enlisting the help of someone who is. This could be one of your salon team or a trainee. Find someone who “speaks” social media so they can insert your salon into the conversation. They can help you to tap into the latest trending audio so you stay ahead of the curve rather than following the crowds.
Showcasing your creativity is one of the best ways to go viral as a salon. When you have a particularly stunning transformation, share the before and after in a creative way. You can also share tutorials or insight that will help individuals to care for their hair at home. Sharing a controversial opinion or an unexpected piece of advice could help you to reach your ideal target audience. Lots of people turn to social media for hair care advice and will respond well to expert information.
Cross-posting can help you to increase your content output and increase your chances of going viral. Audiences on Instagram and TikTok might have some crossover, but you can also expect to reach different people on different platforms. Don’t worry about your audience seeing the same video twice, as it’s far more likely that you will simply reach more people through this tactic rather than annoying people with duplicate content.
Going viral on Instagram and TikTok can skyrocket your salon’s visibility and attract new clients. Want to make managing your growing bookings easier? Try a demo of our salon software today and stay ahead of the trend!
